Please be honest here, how many of you can say that you are happy that you chose corporate law as your career path after getting out of law school and you don't regret going for the other options you had. I see people ranting about their corporate law jobs all the time even though they get more money than almost all other jobs and not a single people says that the career path is worth it, is it really that bad?

The answer is not very straightforward I think.

The money corp law (or firm life) offers you is pretty good. You can travel to nice places, you can rent/ buy bigger, fancier apartments (Bombay people may understand this better) - this is fluff/ nice to have though. There are, of course, better uses to be made of this money - paying off student loans if you have any, sending money home, financially supporting meaningful causes, gathering money for LLM, plans of retiring from corp life early with some money and doing something else etc. If you have grown up in want, or say have parents or family to support, this may be more important to you.

My anecdotal experience is that corp law is a more pragmatic choice than something you do out of passion. Maybe that's why people end up cribbing more. Pay heed though that people do stick with it for years and years, regardless of the cribbing.

My 2 cents are that have a plan of your own. Please see if you are okay to make do with less money to begin with. Some of the other options may also seem better only in comparison - so try and assess with a more critical eye. Litigation - based on personal experience - can also be frustrating - it is disheartening to work hard and then see your case go into an endless loop of adjournments. In another example, sometimes dealing clients who are individuals and are in a hard place is so difficult; you get emotionally invested in matters in a way that you simply don't in a corp matter. You also end up working on weekends or on very little sleep, the difference might be that you don't resent it that much cause you see your work as make-or-break for the client, or it helps you be better prepared at a hearing. Which is why senior partners in corp law also become ok with no work life balance at some point cause the buck stops at them.

Some corp law work is quite interesting, you meet some very smart people and work-life balance is a constant struggle in most professions in today's time. Most important though is, if you are unhappy, please try and do what you can do to make it better for yourself. It is not easy - but do try.

I am glad I made the choice. It has afforded me financial independence and security that I could not have dreamed of when younger and then some. It is a difficult career and I can understand why people are burnt out by it - I have been at the brink myself a few times. But a lot of it depends on the people you work with, especially for younger lawyers. My first job had very toxic bosses and my health suffered. Thereafter I met better bosses (even though they had their own idiosyncrasies). I have had colleagues and juniors that have given me headaches and horrible clients and counterparties. But I chose a specialization within corporate law that I really enjoy. I don't always do work I like, but I do it often enough to make it worth it for me. I chose to work in a Tier-2 firm despite many offers through the years to move to Tier 1 or in-house. I strive to have interests beyond work and a set of friends who weren't the typical 'law firm bros', even though they are lawyers. As you go up the food chain, you do work on more interesting things and the clerical and mind numbing work is left to your juniors. Although such work sucks, it is a rite of passage and could actually prove useful from time to time.

I've made peace with the fact that my career isn't my life. It's a good career, even though its not a passion, and I'm fine with that. In fact, this helps me disconnect from work and become more well-rounded.

At the end of the day, to each his own. Don't get sucked into a whirlpool of extreme emotions - whether positive or negative. Also, forego a bigger salary if it means more considerate colleagues. Firm cultures are a real thing. You may actually like the work but the workplace bullying may make you dislike it.

@Ally Ass and @Name and Alias

This is some great advice for folks in college contemplating about a Corp job. We are trying to create a semi-formal network of seniors who will act as mentors for juniors in college. We have already started a discussion post here.

https://www.legallyindia.com/convos/topic/160768-Mentors-needed

Do let us know if you’re interested.

It's a great initiative, but I don't fall within the bracket you are looking for. I've lost touch with freshers for the most part and my views may be coloured by my partner hat. One thing I wanted to also add is to not get caught up in the whole tiers thing, because a lot of Tier-2 firms do very good work and by the time you reach PA or salaried partnership, you could make the same or even more money with better work-life balance. But it takes time for most people to get there.

Good luck in any case.

@Alias & @Ally Ass

Thank you for your words of encouragement. Frankly, there is no fixed age bracket as such to be a mentor. You can still participate if you wish.

You can also associate yourself in other ways. If you are not free to mentor, we can maybe take your interviews and post it on the platform. It will give students an insight into law firm culture, work-life balance etc.

Do drop a mail at lawfirmready@gmail if you’re interested.